Software Patents, Pseudo Code and UML

On how including UML in a patent application can be done right to

increase efficiency and patent quality.

EducationAgriculture

Medicine

Industry

Pseu.do-n’t

• Pseudo code is a developers tool• Teams tend to develop their own

flavors• Lack of standardization makes

training harder

Create vs Consume Ratio

• It is relatively easy to see what a UML diagram is doing.

• It’s harder to learn how to make one properly.

• Moves a burden of work from the examiners onto the patent applicants.

Normal Patent Application (eg. Diamond Deihr)

Abstract

Drawings

Detailed Description Claims

Initial Node

Timer Node

Send Signal Action

Merge Node

1 Second

Decision Node

Action Node

Note

Edge Node

Patent number labels to match with the “Detailed Description of Drawings” portion of a patent application.

Final Node

Edge Node

Free UML Learning

• www.tutorialspoint.com/uml/index.htm

• www.sparxsystems.com/uml-tutorial.html

• http://edn.embarcadero.com/article/31863

To name a few.• http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/2.4.1/

– For the, detailed, spec sheets.

Free UML diagram creators

• UMLet @ www.umlet.com – (My favorite)

• StarUML @ staruml.sourceforge.net• Less feature-full open source and

free creators are available.• Commercial alternatives are

plentiful

Special Thanks

• http://www.omg.org (for UML)• All the free UML diagram creators and

teachers.• instacod.es (those hip pseudo-code

pictures)• flickr.com/photos/jamesclay/

3509154015 For the classroom photo• US Gov sites that had the other images

under public domain